NEWPORT shooter Elena Allen insists she won’t be using her Beijing Olympic disappointment of four years ago as a motivational tool to medal at London 2012.

Allen, the double Common-wealth Games gold medallist in Delhi in 2010, finished a disappointing 14th in China in 2008 despite heading to the Far East confident of being competitive against the world’s best.

Having attended the British Olympic Association preparation camp in Loughborough, where she received her Team GB kit for London 2012 – Allen revealed a home Olympic Games is suddenly feeling very real indeed.

Despite admitting her Beijing experience will be a help on and off the shooting range – Allen says what has gone on before will have absolutely no bearing as to how she prepares for London.

"Beijing 2008 is and isn’t a disappointment," said Allen.

"No, I’m not using 2008 as motivation. Every competition you start from scratch.

"Once you are an elite shooter and you’ve done one or two big events – it’s not about what you’ve done previously.

"It’s all about how well you apply yourself on the day and how well you cope with the pressure.

"On the day in Beijing, I did feel I did as much as I could have so, in that respect, I felt I couldn’t be disappointed.

"But there was one decision from the officials that went against me and I didn’t feel it on the line when it happened.

"I only realised when I finished and it was a little bit unfair, but that’s life. "Other than that, if you feel you’ve done your best – although the score was a bit disappointing – you can’t complain.

"That’s why I won’t be thinking about my Beijing competition in London at all." Allen’s Beijing highlights are not simply reserved to the shooting range, having enjoyed mixing and living with the world’s best athletes in the Olympic Village.

The Welsh shooter’s particular highlights in the Far East were meeting beaten Wimbledon finalist Andy Murray and Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal. And she can’t wait to sample the special atmosphere all Team GB athletes will enjoy at this year’s Games.

"I am looking forward to it, but it’s slightly different to last time, it was my first Olympics and I didn’t know what to expect," added Allen. "But there’s lots of hard work ahead and it’s a different type of feeling altogether.

"With it being a home Olympics and having big crowds watch us, which we’re not used to, it’s going to be a very interesting competition indeed."

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